The Woman in the Asylum
by 1Am8ored
Summary: Azula gets a visit from someone in a mirror...again.
1. Chapter 1

Azula stared at the grimy mirror. "Go away!" She was hallucinating again, though of course, she didn't know it. Seeing her mother always enraged her as she thought of Azula as a monster- even though she was one. Nobody understood the pain of not being loved by their mother, nobody but Azula.

The was once fearless fire princess combed through her hair. "It's good to know that you're looking after yourself, Azula." Her mother, Ursa stated.

Giving Ursa a false laugh, Azula ran through her scheme, again, calculating the outcome. With a deranged look in her eye, she turned to her mother and said: " Mother, there is something I want to say to you." If looks could kill, this one would. The ever-so-sweet smile was too fake to be true.

She hollered, "Mother, you wrecked my life! Because of you, I'm in an asylum! You killed my dignity, honour, and position as Fire Lord! And for that, I'm going to kill you!"

She grabbed a rusty machete that she had been hiding for weeks and aimed at her mother, who was in the mirror. And yet again stabbed it, leaving the glass to shatter to pieces, once again showing her unsettled behaviour. She would never get another mirror. And she would never get out of the asylum.


	2. Chapter 2- Realisation

The maid had a not-so-shocked expression on her face. This had happened before. Azula was struggling in her straight jacket, trying to get out, even though she knew that it was impossible. A tear streamed past her nose, making its way to the bottom of her chin. She was crying- she never cried.

The old her would never even think of doing so. Did she even remember the old her? Her fury was slowly unravelling- she had to be sedated. That made her even more mad.

Tired of her life, Azula laid down on her bed. She'd made it a long time ago. Now she would have to learn to lie on it. Her reputation was gone and so was her life, her intelligence and her beauty. The bags under her eyes ceased to leave, and the roughness of her skin was terribly ugly. She had never been so ashamed. But she had never been so alone, to scheme. Those silly little doctors, and her foolish, naïve brother, Zuko, all thought she was mentally unstable. I mean, she was, but, really? Okay, she had issues, but apart from that, it was just and act. What she didn't realise was that it was an act to get her away from (quote from the beach scene) "the ashes of your[her] shame".

Was she really _that_ mad? She didn't like to think so. But she dealt with that a different way; firebending and taking over the world. She had channelled all of her rage and hate to capturing the avatar and pestering, no, torturing Zuko. But now they weren't here. They were enjoying the world. They were the ones who put her in there.


	3. AN

**A/N- Hey guys! Thanks for Reading! I would be even more thankful if you guys could review, as this is my first _proper_ story! Next chapter out by tomorrow!**


	4. Chapter 3 - Preparation

"Fire Lord Zuko. It is an honour!", Doctor Chan bowed.

"How's my sister?" Zuko asked, his voice raspier than ever. The doctor sighed. This was not a good sign. Zuko immediately knew the answer to his question. "How bad…."

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Inhaling shortly and exhaling loudly, the fire princess chuckled. Zu-zu was coming to visit today. It was funny how weak and feeble he was. Like a newborn- lamb. Prone to attack by predators who were seeking their rightful place on the throne. Although it was neither the time nor place, Azula still schemed and calculated, looking for a result. Neutral jin ( the energy when you wait for the right time to attack) was a funny thing. It left impatient and meddling. However, it let you suss out your opponents weak point. She knew Zuko was sensitive about their mother ; highly protective of Mai, and had a strong will of hate towards their father, Ozai. But, it wasn't quite….enough.

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Preparing to see Azula could have been the hardest thing he had ever done. Harder than finding the Avatar and leaving the palace to join Aang and his gang. That was probably because his sister was too unpredictable, and because she usually tore open and rubbed salt in his emotional wounds.

She wasn't a killer. But she was much more sinister. She was one of the best firebenders of her time and age. Mastering her bending at a young age,she could now bend and breathe lighting; the blue flower itself.

Zuko rubbed his forehead. He kind of knew what was coming. Hmmm. He was swimming in deep and twisted emotions, struggling to breathe. But he knew that he had to keep it together. Otherwise she would tear him apart...


	5. Chapter 4- Expectation

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. "Peasant, I mean, maid, that wretched clock is broken. Get it repaired. IMMEDIATLEY!" Of course, the clock wasn't broken, it was just that she was constantly looking at it, because she anxiously awaited her brother's arrival- although she hated to admit it.

"Peasant! Remove…..the….clock!" The maid shook her head. The princess knew what was to happen if she didn't calm down. She would have to be sedated – an action that the 15-year old hated. Even though she loathed the sedation, she still had to go through it, and she had to fall asleep. A sleep with no dreams or bumps. It was a smooth honey-like sleep. One that gave her hope. One that made her happy. Not scheming, evil, happy, but a pure, soothing sleep. She hadn't experienced one of these in ages. 3 years- to be precise.

Feeling somewhat happy and hopeful for her future, the firebender opened her eyes, expecting to see sunlight, streaming in through the barred windows. But instead, there was something much more complicated than a few rays of sunlight. Zuko. Her _**very**_ complicated brother. However, that was a story for another time. Why was he at her bedside?What **scum** had let him in? Right. She wasn't to be sedated again, not while he was here. He couldn't see her at her most vulnerable. That meant no fire, no lightning, no bending. What was she to do? She wasn't exactly at the peak of her fitness. Then the thought occurred to her.

"SLAP!" That was more than he could have ever prepared for.

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 **A/N-** Thanks for the reviews! Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday, I was so busy. Next chapter out soon! Keep Reviewing!


	6. Chapter 5 - Pride

He was just sitting there. Like he was entitled to. Even though he was fire-lord, he still looked scared of her. That was a good sign- he knew his place. But the sheer cheek of it all. Coming in a sitting by her side. Who did he think he was? Well, who did he think he was compared to her?

It looked like he was trying to say something. She didn't want to hear his voice, so she just turned away. "Leave." He self- consciously rubbed his forehead. He wanted to leave, so badly but he couldn't. He needed to re-connect with her. "A-azula. I wanted to tell you, to offer you a chance to come back to the palace, since you haven't m-made much progress since, since…..."

"SINCE what? You've got a terrible knack for repeating words, Zu-zu. Honestly, just say it. Since I came into this ASYLUM. I mean, since YOU chucked me into this asylum". With those words, she felt her former glory and fierceness return to her. She felt like Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation, and forgot about Azula, from the Asylum who was in control of her body at this exact moment.

"I want to stay here. You think for one moment that I will enjoy being with you? Really? I'd rather stay here and rot to death. I'd rather look as old and ugly as Lo and Li. I would rather be squashed by a massive turtlelion! So, _leave!_ LEAVE NOW!"

"Azula- you have to come home! Would you rather be sitting in an empty room, in a strait jacket, having to be sedated all the time?"

"Yes! I would!"

Silence. No words were spoken. At least now they knew where they were standing in each other's eyes. Zurko didn't understand. He was a traitor. Going off to run along with the avatar – TREASON.

But she did want to go home. She could have easily done so. Instead, she just let pride stand in the way…


	7. Chapter 6

**Hi guys, its me, missmangotree! I'm soooo sorry that I left so many of you lovely readers hanging! To make up for it, I will be releasing three chapters today!**

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Instead of giving in, she stayed strong. That's what you're taught to do, since the moment you are born. You stay strong for what you believe and never give up. It's sign of strength and depth of character.

But Azula didn't have any. She was shallow and empty. She was taught the wrong things. She didn't have any strength. Look at her. The chance of a lifetime was being handed to her for free, no tags added, yet she declined. Why? Did she really want to stay here forever? No. Yet she let him leave.

She lifted her head to face the newly replaced mirror. No tear would fall from her eyes. She had promised herself that a long time ago. So, instead of crying, she reminisced. Thinking of the old days made her itch. Itch with an unstoppable desire to bend. But she already had two strikes. One more would mean permanent blocking of bending. The same thing happened to Father. He didn't control himself, but Azula would. Azula was Azula. She was not Ozai. And he was no longer in charge of her. She needed room to breathe, and to look back at what she had done wrong. They granted her that freedom, so now it was time to reflect.

Restraining herself showed some sign of self-respect, didn't it? So, did it mean that she was getting her sanity back? No. It did **definitely not**. By remembering the days of the past, Azula had recognised her outrageous behaviour…..and decided that she needed to be punished.


	8. Chapter 7

Sleepless nights and days that never ended was what followed. She didn't eat, speak, sleep or make decisions. Everything was decided for her. Of course, this was part of her punishment. She thought that because she took advantage of her decisions and did no good from them, she shouldn't be allowed that right. Nothing anyone did or said could change her mind. Not that she cared about what those savages thought.

Days passed, then weeks, then months. Eventually Azula became so ill that she had be hospitalized within the Fire Nation Capital. Even breathing was difficult for her. The best healers from the North Pole had arrived, ordered by Zuko himself. They couldn't do anything about it either.

Then Katara arrived. "I am NOT healing her! She tried to kill me, with lightning! Heck, she nearly killed you with lightning, Zuko!"

"I understand how you feel about my sister, but I wouldn't ask unless the situation was vital."

Sokka just had to butt in: "What happened to 'I will never turn my back on people who need me!'"

"Who asked for your opinion?... How'd you get in here anyway? This conversation was supposed to be _**private**_!" Katara yelled.

Resting a hand on her shoulder, Zuko sighed, and looked straight into her eyes. Seeing Zuko in this much pain was heart-breaking. The Katara realised. He really did love his sister. In the same way Sokka loved her.

"Fine."


	9. Chapter 8

The surprising sight of the water savage in her room made her take a break from her punishment. With all the breath she could muster, she croaked, "Leave now." But the barbarian wouldn't leave.

"Go." Again, she wouldn't listen. "No, Azula, I'm here to help. I want to help _you_." Katara ventured forward. "When Zu-zu hears about this, he won't be happy! He wants me to be happy! You need to leave!" Was she seriously using Zuko as an excuse? Then it hit her, he must've sent her.

Her breathing rapidly increased in speed. Her eyes started to flutter. Everything around her started to flash. Then she saw black. Just black and nothing else. She had had a blackout, and was now sedated so Katara could get to work.

Picking up on some tension, Katara gasped. Azula was not only in pain emotionally, but physically too! This woke the mad one up. She could sense someone trying to heal her. She couldn't move or open her eyes but she could speak. "Thank you." She closed her eyes and drifted on to a long and peaceful sleep.

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"How did it go?" asked Zuko, as soon as Katara opened the door. "Not good at first. She was telling me to go. Then she had a blackout and had to be sedated. But-" "Is she okay?" Zuko interrupted. "Yes, she's fine. As I was scanning her body, she said thank you-" "To you? Are you sure, Katara?" Sokka interrupted. "Yes, to me. How'd you get in here? Again? This was a supposed to be a private conversation! Anyway, the problem is, she has some broken bones. They never got the chance to heal properly and they can cause a lot of proble-" "Is she in pain, is it dangerous?" "Stop interrupting! I know you're concerned but let me talk! They can cause problems for her, making it hard to walk. She probably is in pain, and because she hasn't been eating, her body hasn't had enough nutrients to help to bone repair in the right way, so she might not be able to move her arm properly. However, before you interrupt, physiotherapy and more intense and frequent healing sessions will help, but she will never be the same. She will be fine, but not as acrobatic and athletic as she used to be."

"Good," sighed Zuko "As long as she's safe and healthy. And happy."

"Your mother would be proud of you."


	10. Chapter 9

She heard their voices. She heard them saying treacherous things. She heard them say things she did not want to hear. Physiotherapy. No. _More_ stupid healing sessions. With that brat. No. A big NO.

Anger started to steam out from the bottom of her pit of emotions. The rage that came over her in waves was unforgivable. Everything that had been said had made her scared. More than scared. Terrified. Like never before. So, she did what she normally would do when she got upset. She thought about the old times.

Reminiscing over the past was not something Azula usually did, and was known for doing, however, there was nothing usual about Azula at all. Fretting over the past made her itch. Her skin would burn with discomfort and long to be scratched. But why? Because she felt unworthy. Dirty. Unclean. Undeserving.

Out of the corner of the eye, the door started to open. But she was too busy conjuring lightning to care. She could feel the electricity, dancing in her fingertips. She could sense the static in the air. Two fingers pointed at the wall, next to the door. She let go of all control.

Using his head, he re-directed to the window, shattering the fragile glass. This would count as a strike. Her third one. She was going to get in a lot of trouble for this.

"Azula, what were you thinking?" She hung her head down in shame. Hmm. Or perhaps disappointment.

Her brother sighed. Things were never gonna get better for them. Why did their relationship have to be like this? Why did everything have to be so complicated? Why couldn't they just be normal? He couldn't understand it. Not a bit. He had originally thought that with psychiatric help – and time- that they could have a normal relationship. Where he would be the older brother she laughed with but got embarrassed by. He just wanted a family. He wanted to be normal. Like Katara and Sokka.

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 **A/N- Please review! And thank you for reading and putting up with me!**


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